Create 'whole-person' performance management by building compassion into the process

Pioneering employers are ditching the standard performance management process of twice-yearly reviews, often detested by busy managers, in favour of a continuous, more personalised approach.

But if you really want more effective and more relevant performance management, build compassion into the process.

Compassion is a concern for the welfare of others and the basic human desire to help. Managers can demonstrate compassion by building personal relationships with their teams. Studies show that when employees feel their line manager cares about them, they’re substantially more productive and significantly more likely to stay with the company.

In the performance management process, line managers need to find a way to tap into what people personally find motivating - inside and outside of work - and where they get their personal pride. They have to ‘get to know’ the people they’re managing and understand what makes them tick. If a manager knows enough about someone’s career aims, their lifestyle restraints and their interests or commitments outside of work, then it follows that they respond more appropriately and compassionately, to help that person be the best that they can be.

For example, if someone sings in a choir or is caring for a relative, the manager can create flexible conditions that allow them to balance their work and broader lifestyle. A fuller appreciation of the pressures of life for each person means a manager can exercise discretion in a personalised way. It’s about showing that person that their line manager is on their side and wants to help, by offering support and flexibility where possible.

So, instead of taking a narrow, retrospective view of performance management and what it means operationally, employers can benefit by taking a more holistic, future-focused, whole-person view of performance, engagement and productivity.

Some managers may argue that this is not what they signed up for; some employees may not want a close relationship with their boss. But the point here is that many employees do want this. They want a compassionate line manager who cares about them as an individual. Without this, there’s little chance of them feeling genuinely engaged at work.

Line managers may need support to define their own boundaries; to understand their own level of compassion - and how they can exercise this; to ‘contract’ a new compassionate relationship with their direct reports; to understand how and when to bring compassion into performance management conversations and what practical steps they can take to handle any difficult situations that may arise.

By conducting individualised performance conversations with compassion, integrity and respect, line managers can create a more engaging, supportive and inspiring environment in which people are more likely to thrive.

Hemsley Fraser is a market-leading provider of leadership and management training and managed learning. It offers customised learning solutions, personalised in-house training programmes, publicly-scheduled courses, digital learning and managed learning services.

Click here for a practical two-day programme on how to manage and motivate people to achieve high performance https://www.hemsleyfraser.co.uk/course/performance-management

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